Hotel receptionist accused of sex assault on guest

A 50-year-old Palestinian receptionist is charged with sexually assaulting a guest at the pool in the JW Marriott Hotel.

DUBAI // A 50-year-old Palestinian receptionist has been charged with sexually assaulting a hotel guest. AA was accused at the Dubai Criminal Courts of First Instance of harassing the American guest, TW, at the JW Marriott Hotel's pool, pushing her to the wall and kissing her on the cheek. Prosecutors allege the defendant followed the woman out of the swimming pool and grabbed her hand, pulling her aside.

The hotel supervisor, Sheikh Iqbal Sheikh, said: "I saw the suspect take her into the gym and he sat her down and spoke to her for a few minutes." "The guest then called for me and was shaking in fear. She said that the suspect has been bothering and asked me to call security to escort her to her room." The suspect, according to court documents, confessed to prosecutors that he sexually harassed the guest.

The minimum penalty for sexual assault is three years and the maximum is 15 years. The presiding judge, El Saeed Bargouth, is expected to issue his verdict on January 19. [e-mail]